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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28175535">Stars in their Eyes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/scilessweetheart/pseuds/scilessweetheart'>scilessweetheart</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Bookstores, F/M, Laser Tag, Shopping, Skateboarder Percy Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:40:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28175535</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/scilessweetheart/pseuds/scilessweetheart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots about Percy and Annabeth meeting if they weren’t demigods.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Across the Hall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Annabeth had gotten used to long, tedious days working at the bookstore in the local mall. She would clock in, help a few people, and read. That is, until she meets Percy Jackson, who works at the skate shop across the hall from her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The young woman tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear, attempting to read the book in front of her. She was becoming restless; her legs cramping up on the hard stool from the extended period she had been sitting. The old book store was not by any means popular, which made her job both easier and harder, because while she had less work to do, the days appeared to be longer and, if she was being quite honest, redundant and boring. Sighing, she gave up on trying to focus on the book in front of her and stood up from her chair. While <em>Sense and Sensibility </em>was a classic and one of her favorites, it is a difficult read if you are distracted, which she was.</p><p>She began to wander around the small store, breathing in the scent of ink and worn pages. The wistful feeling of old books is, after all, what had made her so inclined to accept the job. Her aunt had approached her when she began college, offering her the job to help with student debt. She was hesitant at first, but after understanding her aunt’s declining health and need for assistance, in addition to the good pay and the absolutely enchanting workplace, she accepted.</p><p>Suddenly, she was whisked back to the present by the <em>clunk</em> of the heavy door being shut; a disturbance that caused her to quickly turn her head. In walked a boy, seemingly her age at 19, but with an extremely different persona. While she had curly, yet neat blonde hair, dull grey eyes, and a penchant for Harry Potter sweaters, this boy had unkempt raven hair, bright green eyes, a maroon beanie, and a black t-shirt.</p><p>“Um, hey. I work at the skate shop across the hall, and I was wondering if I could use your bathroom? The nearest one is about a five-minute trek, all the way down by the Radio Shack, and I’m not really up for it.”</p><p>She looked at him uneasily yet also slightly amused at his laziness, for while she had seen him in passing before, they had never spoken, and she knew nothing about him. Noticing her hesitance, he supplied, “I’m Percy, by the way. I don’t really have much to offer you in return, other than a 15% coupon and an old microwave you could use to heat up your lunch, or something.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.</p><p>“Go ahead,” she sighed with resolve. “But expect me to show up with a frozen burrito in hand, waiting for a turn to use the microwave.”</p><p>He laughed melodically and headed towards the back. “Oh, and Percy,” she called out to him.</p><p>“Yeah?” He replied, turning back towards her.</p><p>“My name is Annabeth.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you Annabeth.” He gave her a genuine smile, then continued on his journey.</p><p>As promised, the next day, Annabeth made her way across the hall to Percy’s skate shop with a Hot Pocket in desperate need of heat. Upon entrance, she was instantly taken aback by the difference between the two stores. Hers always had a soft classical sound playing in the background, was neat and orderly at all times, and was decorated with tan, light brown, and various pastel colors. Where Percy worked, on the other hand, was decorated with dark colors, had neon painted splattered across the floor for design, t-shirts spilling over tables, skateboards crookedly lining the walls, and had rock playing in the back.</p><p>“Hey! What’s up?” She spun around to face the owner of the voice. “Here to take me up on the offer of a coupon?” He smirked at her, knowing that wasn’t the case.</p><p>“Microwave, actually.” She told him, holding up the Hot Pocket. She switched the delicacy to opposite hand she had originally been holding it with, to give herself the opportunity to wipe her sleeve on her jeans, as it was wet from the melted ice that had come from the side of the frozen package.</p><p>“Follow me.” He headed deeper into the store, towards what she assumed would be the break room. He pulled her into a plain looking concrete box and pointed in the direction of the microwave.</p><p>Annabeth glances uneasily towards the old microwave in the back. The old, white, mini microwave is stained with about thirty different foods, and is shaking at an uncomfortable speed while Percy cooks what appears to be mac ‘n cheese. He pulls his lunch out once the timer beeps, and gazes at it lovingly, before gesturing for Annabeth to put her own lunch in.</p><p>“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She asks him, gesturing towards the broken-down appliance.</p><p>“Eh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. I just used it didn’t I?” He shrugs before shoveling a forkful of pasta into his mouth. His face turns red and he rushes over to the garbage can and spits out the contents of his mouth, before drinking half of his water bottle.</p><p>“Hot?” She smirks at him, eyeing the large amount of steam emitting from the food.</p><p>“Just a little bit.” He grins back.</p><p>Annabeth puts her Hot Pocket in the microwave for the suggested two minutes and thirty seconds before waving goodbye to Percy, who was still hesitant to finish his lunch, and heading back to her own store.</p><p>The two saw each other several times after that, due to Percy’s constant need for a bathroom break. Eventually, it turned into a habit that every day, at around the same times, Percy would enter the store, have a conversation with Annabeth, use the restroom and return to his shift. Annabeth worked most of the day Monday-Friday, and she learned that Percy worked the morning shift on Mondays and Wednesdays and closed the store down the rest of the week (other than Saturday and Sunday when he was off). She shockingly discovered that Percy was a huge gossip, which seemed very unlike him, but that led to the current conversation they were having, about the new fashion outlet that had opened up next door to her.</p><p>“I just cannot believe her! She waltzes in to our store all sweet and innocent, batting her stick-on eyelashes, swinging her false Kate Spade bag, draping herself all over Charlie, just to see if she could use YOUR bathroom? Like girl, what the hell, have some dignity!” He sighs exasperatedly, before continuing. “Also, what the hell kind of name is Cheryl? What is this, Clueless?”</p><p>Annabeth laughs out loud at that and updates him on what she had heard. The mall walls are paper thin, so she can hear various extremely shallow conversations that the Ohio valley-girls have. It has been quite obnoxious for her to hear their <em>riveting </em>conversations instead of her preferred music that she used to be able to hear drifting out of the speakers. “First of all, Clueless? Really? You are telling me a skater boy like you is a fan of teen rom-coms. I’m shocked.” She deadpanned, smirking at his mock-glare. “Second of all, to continue what you had to say about invading your store, I heard them talking yesterday, and they said that they go into your ‘dumb’ store just to flirt with all the ‘hot’ guys. None of them even know how to ride a skateboard!”</p><p>Percy gasped, putting a hand over his heart. “Why did you put hot in air quotes? I’ll have you know my mama says I am the prettiest boy around.” Annabeth laughs, while Percy continued, “Also, seriously? They have <em>never </em>ridden a skateboard? They are really missing out, it is one of the best experiences you could possibly, well, experience! Don’t you think?”</p><p>“Well, I have never actually ridden a skateboard before.” She admitted sheepishly.</p><p>“What?” Percy gaped, mouth hanging open as if he were a fish.</p><p>“We lead very different lives Percy! It shouldn’t be that surprising. Have you ever read a classic novel? Seen a Harry Potter movie? Listened to classical music?” She asked him, defensively.</p><p>“I guess you are right.” He admitted. “How about this, I will read one of your classic American novels, if you will let me teach you how to skate.”</p><p>“They are not <em>all</em> American novels!” She protested weakly, knowing that he wouldn’t care.</p><p>“Whatever. So, we can meet in the parking lot Friday after work, okay? You bring your little story and I will bring my board.”</p><p>So, four days later at ten thirty at night, Annabeth found herself standing in the middle of the practically abandoned parking lot. She had never really stood out in the open, appreciating the vastness of the lot before this moment. You could feel the crisp air, smell the everlasting scent of fresh pretzels, see thousands of stars. After acknowledging the darkness, she decided to head over to the street lamp near her and stand under it, so that Percy could better see her. The light had a slight flicker to it, as did most of the others, which drives her crazy. After a couple minutes, she glances down at her watch, and sees that Percy is seven minutes late. The books in her arm she had brought for him began to ache, and she wishes she had just chosen one at random for him, instead of bringing a few choices. Luckily, in that moment, she sees Percy head towards her with a space themed penny board in hand. She was impressed with herself for being able to recognize it, as she had tuned out Percy when he tried to convince her that there was, in fact, a difference between a skate board, penny board, and long board.</p><p>“Hey Annabeth! Ready for the most fun of your life?” He asked her, grinning.</p><p>“You’re late!” She scolded him, feeling frustrated. He is always on time for his daily visit to her shop, but not for the one time they are <em>actually</em> meeting.</p><p>“Sorry Annabeth, it took me a while to find the perfect board.” He held it out to her, proud of his choice.</p><p>“Well, it does look nice,” she trails off. “You did good, Skater Boy.” She held the stack out to him, which he gathered up in his arms uneasily. “Anyway, choose your book and then we can start. I’m really tired because the store was surprisingly busy today, and I would rather get home sooner rather than later.”</p><p>“Okay, okay. What are these anyway? <em>Sense and Sensibility? We Are Okay? The Book Thief? </em>Sound boring to me.”</p><p>“We had a deal Percy!” She shot him her best death glare, which wasn’t very deadly.</p><p>“I know, I will read one. Don’t worry!” He slid <em>We Are Okay </em>into his bag, the smallest of the three, and then tossed the rest back, to her annoyance. “So, is it time for skating?”</p><p>“Yep.” She replied popping the ‘p’. “So where do I start?”</p><p>“Here. You put your dominant foot on the board, and your other foot on the ground. You push off and then pull your foot up. If you want to turn, you point both of your feet in the direction you are turning, and then lean. Got it?” She nodded. “Let’s try it.”</p><p>Annabeth did exactly what he said, but still managed to fall off. Luckily, she didn’t fall that hard and was okay. Her tailbone would be bruised for a few days, but she assumed it would be worth it. The next time, Percy took her hand and slowly dragged her, so she could get the hang of it first. When she slipped, due to this new position, Percy was right there waiting to catch her. She ended up being inches away from his face, to the point where she could feel his breath on her cheeks, causing her to blush. Then, he closed the distance between them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Xtreme</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Annabeth got roped in to bringing her brothers to laser tag, the last thing she expected was to meet a goofy employee who may or may not be flirting with her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“C’mon, Annabeth. Please, please, please!” The blonde shook her head, though her grey eyes danced with amusement. Each of her twin brothers clung to one of her arms as they attempted to pull her out of her room.</p><p>“Why can’t dad take you?” She questions, shaking them off to grab her phone.</p><p>The both crinkle their noses in disgust. “He was busy and said if we wanted to spend time with him, we could help him get ready for his showcase tomorrow.”</p><p>She sighs and pulls her bag over her shoulder and her car keys off of the desk. The twins wait with anticipation. “Fine. Go get your shoes on!”</p><p>They cheer and sprint down the hallway and into their room, while Annabeth heads out to the car. “Why am I even doing this?” Annabeth asks herself, shaking her head. “What have those brats ever done for me?” Her words were harsh, but there was fondness laced between them.</p><p>Bobby and Matthew sprint out to the car, calling “shotgun!” at exactly the same moment, which of course started an argument.</p><p>“I called it first.” Bobby insists.</p><p>Matthew retaliates, “No, I did!</p><p>“Shut up, both of you, or you are both sitting in the back!” Annabeth snaps, giving them an intense look.</p><p>“You can’t make us.” Bobby tells her defiantly, crossing his arms.</p><p>She starts to casually walk back to the garage. “Fine, then I’ll just go back inside and finish that book I was-”</p><p>“No!” They shout, grabbing her arms again.</p><p>“Fine, Bobby. You can have the front.” Matthew relents, running over and opening the door for him.</p><p>“Thank you!” He chirps happily, hopping in.</p><p>“But I’m having it on the way back!” He threatens, attempting to do it menacingly, but his two siblings just laugh.</p><p>“Fine.” Bobby agrees, slamming the door.</p><p>They finally pull out of the driveway and Annabeth opens her phone to pull up the address. “So where is this laser tag place anyway.”</p><p>“I don’t know.” Bobby shrugs.</p><p>She sighs, rubbing her forehead, frustrated. “Did you bring money to pay for it?”</p><p>“No.” Matthew says simply from the back.</p><p>“I better get a really good birthday present this year.” She mumbles, though it was loud enough for the two to hear.</p><p>“You will!” Matthew assures her.</p><p>“It’ll be extra special!” Bobby agrees.</p><p>“Here… coupon?” Matthew places the “1/2 off a large fry from Burger King” slip on the compartment next to her.</p><p>“Thanks.” She rolls her eyes.</p><p>“I think it is called Xtreme Laser Arena.” Bobby tells her.</p><p>“That helps.” She sighs and pulls up the directions.</p><p>After ten more excruciating minutes, they drive into the parking lot. They enter the small building, immediately being bombarded by flashing lights and bright colors. “Okay guys, I’ll pay for two rounds.”</p><p>“Three?” They ask hopefully.</p><p>“Don’t push it. Now go wait over there.” She pushes them towards the arcade by the entrance to the actual laser tag room.</p><p>“Three rounds of laser tag for three.” She grumbles, pulling out her wallet.</p><p>“Any kids under twelve?” The man in front of her asks, as he prints out tickets.</p><p>“Two.” She responds.</p><p>He spins around the credit card scanner, “That’ll be 19.08”</p><p>She had heard these places could be really expensive, so thankfully the twins at least picked a cheap place. “Thank you.”</p><p>She looks over to where her brothers are and sees them talking to a tall boy with dark black hair and bright green eyes. She heads over to them and addresses the guy in front of her. “Hey…?”</p><p>“Oh, hi!” He gives a small wave before sticking his hands in his pockets. “I’m Percy, I work here. Your brothers were just telling me about how you wanted to play laser tag and they offered to tag along.”</p><p>“Uh-huh. That’s exactly how it happened.” She rolls her eyes and shoots the twins a look.</p><p>“That’s what I figured. See you in there, Annabeth.” He gives her a crooked, troublemaker grin before heading into the arena.</p><p>She spins back to the younger boys. “How did he know my name?”</p><p>“We told him.” Matthew shrugs.</p><p>She sighs, “Why?”</p><p>“He was your age.” Bobby pointed out.</p><p>“So?” She asks, trying to get a little bit more information out of them.</p><p>“He thought you were cute.” They both said at the same time, and she found herself blushing.</p><p>“Oh.” She finally manages to say.</p><p>She was saved from further embarrassment by Percy calling out through the loud speaker, “Okay, the next round of laser tag is about to begin, so get your tickets ready and meet over here!”</p><p>They headed over to where he was, and he greeted them with a bright smile. “Hey, guys. Long time, no see.”</p><p>“Are you going to be on our team?” Bobby asks.</p><p>“Depends, what color are you going to pick?” He asks them, faking thinking thoughtfully.</p><p>“Red…” seeing no reaction from him, Bobby quickly changes his answer. “Blue!”</p><p>“Then yep!” Percy lights up.</p><p>“Cool!” Matthew chimes in.</p><p>“See you guys in there!” He starts addressing the next person, so they move through the door into the dark room lined with lit-up jackets.</p><p>“Please be on our team?” Matthew asks her.</p><p>“Pretty please?” Bobby contributes.</p><p>“What if I want to demolish you guys?” She crosses her arms.</p><p>“Then do it next round! At least let us warm up first.” Matthew begs.</p><p>“Fine.” She relents, and pulls on a blue jacket. Once she is done, she has to help Matthew clip his on and hand Bobby his gun that was dragging along the floor. They have to sit through the introduction of the rules and poorly laid out storyline before they were finally able to head in.</p><p>“Alright team, are you ready?” Percy asks them, intensely.</p><p>“Yeah!” The two shout with enthusiasm.</p><p>“Then let’s go shoot some losers.” He grins, and the game begins.</p><p>They won, obviously. Percy and Annabeth dominated the whole game and protected Matthew and Bobby from getting shot too many times. Unfortunately, they all had to witness Annabeth shooting every single girl in this whole little group because one of them shot at her. “Oops,” was all she had said.</p><p>After that, they headed back out to the arcade area. Matthew and Bobby pretended to use the motorcycle simulators as they talked about the next game.</p><p>“Alright, round two out of three. What is happening now?” She asks them, leaning against the machine.</p><p>“We want to face up against you, Annabeth, so we can see who is better.” Bobby responds, though his eyes are still glued to the monitor.</p><p>“It’s me.” She says, without even having to think about it.</p><p>“We know.” They both say, rolling their eyes.</p><p>“But let us face you anyway?” Matthew asks nicely.</p><p>“Okay, have at it.” She tells them.</p><p>“Yes!” The cheer.</p><p>After a few more minutes, it is time for the next round to start. Everybody files in and starts gearing up, just like last time. Bobby and Matthew immediately rush over to the red side, whispering to each other about battle plans excitedly.</p><p>“They’re switching?” Percy asks, sidling up next to her.</p><p>“They want to play against me.” She smirks, looking at the two boys now arguing about something.</p><p>“Some friendly competition?” He asks her, teasingly.</p><p>“Not really.” She smiles at him before casually tossing out, “They can get pretty competitive.”</p><p>“Sure. They’re the competitive ones.” Percy rolls his eyes, thinking back to how Annabeth reacted in the previous round.</p><p>She pushed him playfully. “Shut up.”</p><p>“Want some help?” He offered, pulling on the blue vest.</p><p>“Well, two against one is pretty unfair…” She smirks.</p><p>“You got it.”</p><p>They entered, and to say Annabeth killed the two boys would still be an understatement. Every time they went to shoot at her, Percy would dive in front of her and she would shoot them. It didn’t hurt that she had really good aim.</p><p>“What! No fair. You got Percy on your team!” They complained after.</p><p>They, including Percy, were sitting in the little food court near the arcade waiting for their final round.</p><p>“It was two against one! And he didn’t even shoot at you guys!” Annabeth protested.</p><p>“Yeah, but he kept you from being shot!” Bobby frowned.</p><p>“I want to be on Percy’s team now.” Matthew said too.</p><p>“I do too!” Bobby chimed it.</p><p>Annabeth mocked feeling hurt, “Wow, thanks guys.”</p><p>“Rock, paper, scissors for it.” Percy offered.</p><p>They did, and Bobby won.</p><p>“Yes!” He cheered, dancing around the table.</p><p>“No fair!” Matthew complained.</p><p>“Listen up, guys.” Percy leaned in near them all conspiratorially. “I may or may not get some benefits here because, you know, I’m on their payroll. So, if you want to come back on Friday, then I may be able to sneak you into a few extra rounds.”</p><p>“Yes! Annabeth, can we?” Bobby begged.</p><p>Annabeth pretended to think about it. “I don’t know, my schedule is pretty busy…”</p><p>“Annie!” Matthew protested.</p><p>“Maybe you can help dad with his showcase and in return he’ll bring you back!” She told them cheerfully.</p><p>“No, we want you!” Bobby frowned.</p><p>“Yeah, Annabeth.” Percy turned to her with a smirk on his face. “We want you.”</p><p>“Well, if you insist.” She relents.</p><p>Then, the buzzer sounded and so they went through the same process again, but with Percy and Annabeth now on opposite teams. They were both evenly matched, tied, neck-and-neck. The clock was close to ringing so whoever got the next point would win. They both turned around a corner at the same time and were face to face. Percy quickly kissed her. While she stood there, stunned, he shot her in the chest. The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game.</p><p>“Gotcha.” He smirked and walked away. “See you on Friday.”</p><p>“Bye, Percy.” She finally managed to reply.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Target Run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>All she wanted was a pack of Oreos. How did she end up participating in the scheme of a random boy to avoid an ex?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She peered around the aisle in an attempt to find the box of Oreos, her blonde hair tumbling down her shoulders. She wandered down the hall glancing at all the food surrounding her, but she was still unable to find her desired item. She hugged her arms to her chest and began to rub them, trying to provide some heat against the harsh air conditioning. Then, a small blue package caught her eye, and she whipped around, having finally found the Mega Stuff Chocolate Filled creamy delight. She grinned, and right as she went to grab the bag, she was knocked off of her feet.</p><p>She hit the ground with a noticeable <em>thud, </em>as the person who bumped into her muttered a mix of apologies and strings of cuss words. She looked up and her grey eyes were met with a pair of green ones, belonging to a boy who looked around her age. His black hair was perfectly tousled and fell anything but flat on his forehead and was capped off with a beanie. She was shaken out of her thoughts as the boy reached a hand out to her.</p><p>“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” She finally deciphered, as she accepted his hand.</p><p>“It is no problem, don’t worry about it.” She smiled.</p><p>He grinned back, and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, I have a kind of odd favor to ask you.”</p><p>“Okay…” She replied uneasily, as this boy was a complete stranger to her.</p><p>“Would you maybe walk around with me and pretend to be my girlfriend? I know it seems really strange, but I just saw my ex with her new boyfriend, and things are still a little,” he coughed, “actually a lot, weird between us. That is why I was running, I didn’t want to bump into her, and, well, you seem nice and are pretty, so…” he blushed, and she laughed at him.</p><p>She surprised herself when she told him, “sure.” She was unsure why she agreed; it may have been because she was bored, and this seemingly fun opportunity arose, or it could be because she felt bad for him. Probably a combination of the two, but either way, she was now involved.</p><p>“Okay, awesome. Cool. Thanks.” He gave her a sheepish smile and held out his hand. She took it, and they began to walk aimlessly around the store.</p><p>“I’m Percy, by the way.” He said, breaking the awkward silence.</p><p>“Annabeth.” She replied, smiling at him.</p><p>“So, what brings you to Target at 10:00 at night?” He asked randomly, in an attempt to fill the silence.</p><p>“A random craving for Oreos. What about you?” He chuckled at her answer before giving his own.</p><p>“I like to come and play the Mario Kart demo on the Wii U.” She cracked up at this, which led to her almost tripping, which caused the both of them to laugh harder. “I know, I’m special.”</p><p>“So other than Nintendo games about Italian brothers, what kind of things do you like?” She questioned.</p><p>“I am kind of average, I am not going to lie.” She snorted, and he shot her a glare until she allowed him to continue. “I like skateboarding, Harry Potter, Strawberry ice cream, and Marvel comics, especially Captain America.” She rolled her eyes. “What?” He asked, unsure of what could have possibly irritated her.</p><p>“Captain America?” She asked amused.</p><p>“Yeah! What is wrong with him? Team Cap ftw!” He shouted, pumping his fist in the air.</p><p>She rolled her eyes for the second time. “First of all, I cannot believe you just said ‘ftw’ in real life. Second of all, Team Iron Man. Duh!” He faked gasped, or at least she believed it was fake.</p><p>“What does team Iron Man have, that team Cap doesn’t? Dishonor? Old people? A walking toaster oven?”</p><p>“Okay, your team is literally led by a fossil, whose best friend is also a fossil. Although, Vision is the worst, so I am not going to argue with you on that. And to answer your question, we have Spider-Man.”</p><p>“Okay, you got me there.”</p><p>They both sighed and attempted to catch their breath. The intense argument had given them little time to breathe.</p><p>“We are such nerds.” He summed up.</p><p>“Yep.” She agreed.</p><p>She glanced around and found herself to be close to the cookies again. She discovered that they had made a complete lap around the store, and it was almost closing time.</p><p>“Hey Percy?” She asked him.</p><p>“Yeah?” He replied.</p><p>“We just made an entire lap around the store and didn’t see a single person that didn’t work here.”</p><p>“Yeah, so?” He gave her a questioning look.</p><p>“Where is your ex-girlfriend?” She asked, a mix of confusion, amusement, and weariness swirling around inside her.</p><p>“Um we missed her? She left? She avoided us?” He tried weakly.</p><p>“Does she even exist?” She asked him, frustrated.</p><p>“Okay, so the truth is, she doesn’t. This was just an elaborate stunt for me to talk to you and hold your hand because I thought you were cute.” He deadpanned.</p><p>“Seriously?” She asked him, baffled.</p><p>“Yep. It worked.” He grinned at her, and swung his arm, which she just realized was still attached to her arm.</p><p>“You are so-,” She was cut off.</p><p>“Cute?” He supplied, rather unhelpfully.</p><p>“-Annoying.” She sighed, and Percy’s face fell. “But cute works too.” He perked up.</p><p>“So, Annabeth. Any chance I could get your number? Our debate isn’t over, and I would really like to meet up some time, maybe over coffee, to finish it?” He asked hopefully.</p><p>“Alright, but only for the sake of defending one of the greatest comic book heroes of all time. This has nothing to do with you.” She smiled innocently.</p><p>“Naturally.” He smirked back.</p><p>They parted ways as they reached the door and Annabeth headed out to her car with a smile on her face, and it was only once she had reached her apartment that she realized, she had forgotten to buy the Oreos.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Because College</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>She knew people did weird things when they were sleep deprived. Especially when they are also college students. But this? This had to be the worst thing she's ever seen.</p>
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    <p>Annabeth sat in her chair at the front of the room, mindlessly tapping her pencil against the worn out desk. She checked her watch for what had to have been the third time in the past minute, waiting for her class to start. Of course, it was her fault for showing up ridiculously early. Not even the teacher wanted to arrive thirty minutes before class began.</p><p>After about ten more minutes, class was finally starting to begin. The room quickly filled up and pretty soon the only empty desk in the room was next to her. Not that she would admit it, but she hoped the chair stayed vacant. She needed a little personal space.</p><p>“All right, class.” An older man with a brown tweed blazer and sweater vest strutted to the front of the room. He was, presumably the teacher. “To begin, why don’t we all just say our names so I can take attendance and we can all get to know each other better.”</p><p>Annabeth mentally rolled her eyes, as this idea was childish, but she went along with it anyways. They spent about fifteen minutes saying their names and what they hoped to achieve in this class, even though the answer was pretty obvious. Freshman English 101 was a mandatory class, so they were all here just for the credit.</p><p>As soon as they finished this process, the teacher, Dr. Ralph, declared. “It is time to begin.” He elaborated on this by adding, “it seems that everybody is here except for a…”</p><p>At that moment, a young man, seemingly Annabeth’s age, tumbled in through the classroom door. He glances around frantically, before noticing the only empty seat, which was coincidentally next to Annabeth. He hurried into the chair.</p><p>“Mr. Perseus Jackson, I presume?” Ralph asks him.</p><p>“Yes, sir. You can just call me Percy, though.” The boy – Percy – replies.</p><p>Dr. Ralph nods and begins his lesson. A few minutes later, Annabeth turns to look at the late comer and notices he has a rather large Yeti cup, filled up about half way with dark, black coffee. From his small backpack, he pulls out a can of Monster energy drink and pours it <em>into the coffee. </em>Annabeth watches with morbid fascination. Percy proceeds to pull out a hot pink bendy straw and stick it into the deadly concoction. Next, he goes back into his bag and pulls out a single sheet of lined paper, and a blue pen with no cap. He pays close attention to the board and takes his class notes, sipping out of the drink every once in a while. Percy catches her staring and smiles, giving her a small wave. Annabeth waves back, confused, before turning back to the board. The rest of class continued as if nothing had ever happened.</p><p>After a long hour of lectures and the syllabus, class is dismissed. Annabeth takes her time packing up her things, in no hurry to return to her crowded dorm. She steps out of the room and heads down the hall, passing a small coffee shop on her way to the parking lot.</p><p>“Hey! Blonde girl!” She spins around, confused, to see Percy walking towards her.</p><p>“Annabeth.” She corrects him.</p><p>He seems confused. “What?”</p><p>“That’s my name. Not ‘blonde girl’.” She explains.</p><p>“Right. Sorry.” He looks a bit sheepish.</p><p>“It’s okay.” She resolves.</p><p>“I’m Percy.” He offers.</p><p>“I know.” He gives her an odd look, so she elaborates. “Dr. Ralph said your name.” He nods, understanding. They stand in silence for a few more seconds before Annabeth asks him, “Did you need something?”</p><p>His face lights up, as if finally remembering what he was here for. “Oh, right. I was just curious… why were you staring at me in class? Think I'm cute?” He grins, cheekily.</p><p>“Hah! No, that’s not it. It’s because you mixed an energy drink with coffee.” She stares directly at the cup in his hands.</p><p>“Oh… right. Yeah. That makes sense.” He makes a scrunched up, embarrassed face.</p><p>“It’s alright.” He turns around to go, but Annabeth calls out. “I’ll make you a deal – I’ll buy you a coffee, if I get a story about what all this is about.”</p><p>“Deal.” He agrees with no hesitance.</p><p>“My only condition is that you have to order something real. Nothing close to that hot mess.” She wiggles his fingers towards his cup, giggling.</p><p>“Oh, definitely.” He nods, eyes wide. She can see his fingers twitch at his sides, and he wiggles in his stance, looking impatient and jittery. Annabeth regrets her decision just a little bit.</p><p>They walk over to the small coffee shop they just passed. Annabeth quickly orders for herself and then steps aside to let Percy place his. They wander over to a small table in the back, where they sit face to face.</p><p>“So, Percy Jackson.” Her mouth twitches up into a small grin. “What’s your story?”</p>
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